When the rain fell on the bayou this morning… I had nearly forgotten. The dark sky dumped the noisy, sizzling rain and drowned out the nearby traffic flow…do you think they know?  When it dripped off my coal black hat and down my spine…I didn’t mind. There, in the presence of nature, under the canopy of the mangrove forest…I was re-minded!  

 Awakened by the shower, the spoonbills fluffed and stretched their wings and welcomed the wash. A great blue heron puffed to nearly twice his size to  let the fresh water touch & cool his skin and the snowy egret followed suit. The mangrove crabs scurried up the branches all in a row for a freshwater bath…they know! 

An osprey on the wing and a jumping stingray on the flats flew together today and shared  a moment in the same magical element… I think they know.  

Just in time I turned to see a kayaking family from Boston acting naturally; fluffing their rain-soaked clothes & shaking their heads they settled into the magic… They took off their hats and rubbed the rain into their hair and let it drip off their noses and onto their lap. Then like a well trained flock  they turned their pale, sun-starved faces to the sky and stuck out their tongues to catch the dew. Birds of a feather I guess… they know. 

Water’s cleansing, healing and renewing powers are unmatched by any other resource on Planet Earth. Water is fun as well as awe-inspiring and is the single most sought after recreational resource on Earth…but it’s likely you already know?

1. Tyson F. Gautreaux Says:
   March 6th, 2010 at 1:43 am

   Thanks for this post, answers a bunch of questions I was having.